Converting a SM Miata to an ITA Miata

A

Abhi

New member
This past season I ran a few ITA races in my 95 Miata SM car. I was thinking of converting the car to a full ITA car for next season and was looking for some advice on what is worth doing, given that I am on a budget.

(Andy Bettencourt… are you out there? You had the fastest ITA Miata out there. )

So my questions:
1. It is worth doing an ITA exhaust and intake? I saw both on ISCRACING’s website.

2. What about a computer? Is the Megasquirt worth getting? I do have access to a dyno at Kessler Engineering to get it tuned.

3. How about suspension? The spherical bearings and fancy bushings for the control arms look pricey. When you add a set of shocks, it is a lot of $$$. Would an ITA Miata be competitive running the SM spec suspension?

4. How about things like a front air dam?

What else would I need to do to convert the SM car to a competitive ITA car?

I will mostly run Lime Rock, NHMS and Watkins Glen.
Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

Abhi Ghatak
 
Here in MCSCC many drivers run in ITA with spec SM cars and are very competitive. Most of the other ITA cars are FWD and sometimes run into tire overheating or wear problems when run hard. The SM cars do not have that problem so have won their share of races but with no one driver winning more then once or twice. Our class champion by finishing in the top 3 consistantly and winning 2-3 times drove a 1990 Accura Integra.
 
Don't let Jim Alley scare you! LOL! it's his third motor build... I think. I would be cynical as well. :)

As with most IT builds, work on suspension first shocks and springs, basic i/e/h bolts-on, head work, tuning, underdrive, then bushings, then full IT spec bottom end. I *think* most Miata folks use OEM .020 over pistons, though full blown motors should probably use forged 040 over. I am *NOT* a Miata guy and I am sure there is some secret recipe. Talk to Brian Price and/or Andy for sure. :)
 
Just throwing this out there, but almost all of the track records at our local tracks are faster in SM than they are in ITA.
something to keep in mind. ;)
 
Yeah, but they shouldn't be.

A good ITA Miata should have maybe 10 more hp, and a better, more balanced suspension. When comparing the "best of the best" at places like VIR or Road Atlanta, the "best" ITA Miatas are generally at least a second or two quicker than the very best SMs.

Matt93SE said:
Just throwing this out there, but almost all of the track records at our local tracks are faster in SM than they are in ITA.
something to keep in mind. ;)
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jimalley said:
Nah! I would leave everything the way it is :D
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Hi Jim,

I can barely stay with you on the straights, so thought I should do something here. I am the black #1 that you have been seeing in your mirrors for most of the season. I can catch up to you but thats about all I got. :):)

Abhi
 
Abhi said:
Hi Jim,

I can barely stay with you on the straights, so thought I should do something here. I am the black #1 that you have been seeing in your mirrors for most of the season. I can catch up to you but thats about all I got. :):)

Abhi
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Come over to Londonderry and I can give you great ideas on how to spend :D

Seriously, my car is at least 1 second faster than the driver. I may have some suspension parts that can help you once you figure out what spring rates you want to start with.

if you want to run with the faster ITA cars in this area you will need to develope the Miata:shrug:
 
Abhi is coming back from the dark side!! Seriously, I think you'll like running in IT better than SM.

At this point, the suspension isn't going to hinder you the most. I would go for the easy HP bolt-ons first. Then from there, it's all about how deep your pockets are!! :D

To get to the point where you are running with the likes of Andy, Shane, Timmy, etc. You're gonna have to throw some serious coin at the car.
 
oh right... THEY are the dark side... I forgot.

What Jeff forgot to mention, but made me think of, is that you could just buy his championship winning Saturn... No guess work there! :D

Jeff is right though in regards to his advice on the Miat'r. Also, I think that you wouldn't have to relearn driving it much, it would just have more hp.
 
JLawton said:
Abhi is coming back from the dark side!! Seriously, I think you'll like running in IT better than SM.

At this point, the suspension isn't going to hinder you the most. I would go for the easy HP bolt-ons first. Then from there, it's all about how deep your pockets are!! :D
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Thanks for the advice Jeff and Chris.

Being on a budget, I am trying to decide whether to leave the car as an SM and learn how to drive better. :D:D

Jim Alley...I will take you up on your offer and come up and visit you and pick your brain.

As far as easy HP bolt-ons...which ones are most bang for the buck ?

-Intake ?
-Exhaust ?
-Computer ?

Any advice on brands ?

What else ?

Abhi

P.S. Jeff...are you putting the Mini back together ? Or are you going to run the Saturn ?
 
Abhi said:
Thanks for the advice Jeff and Chris.

Being on a budget, I am trying to decide whether to leave the car as an SM and learn how to drive better. :D:D

Jim Alley...I will take you up on your offer and come up and visit you and pick your brain.

As far as easy HP bolt-ons...which ones are most bang for the buck ?

-Intake ?
-Exhaust ?
-Computer ?

Any advice on brands ?

What else ?

Abhi

P.S. Jeff...are you putting the Mini back together ? Or are you going to run the Saturn ?
Click to expand...

Abhi,
My suggestion is to work with Matt........... he's got a "decent" record in IT and SM........ He knows his shit.

I'm definately not running the Saturn any more. Not sure what I'm going to do with the Mini. I don't have the money to fix it and nobody would want to buy it as is......
 
JeffYoung said:
Yeah, but they shouldn't be.

A good ITA Miata should have maybe 10 more hp, and a better, more balanced suspension. When comparing the "best of the best" at places like VIR or Road Atlanta, the "best" ITA Miatas are generally at least a second or two quicker than the very best SMs.
Click to expand...

to get a decent idea of the potential difference, check out this past weekend's ARRC results and look for Brian Price in ITA and SM. Brian (aka "Rowdy") was running in the top 5 in SM before cutting a tire and won ITA.

good driver in well prepared cars. should give an idea of the potential lap times relative to each class for a given track with similar conditions.
 
Assuming Abhi doesn't already have it, does anyone have contact info for Brian Price? Anyone know the non-top-secret details on his car?

Edit: Abhi, I found him on Facebook, go figure. We have 5 mutual friends.
 
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Abhi,

Keep it in SM trim and give ITA a try as is. Watching some of the races (LRP and the Glen), a well built SM can do pretty darn well in ITA. Also, have a serious chat with Matt to get his thoughts.

I honestly don't know where you as a driver stand right now, but how much improvement can you use? (Not asking you to answer that here). What are you weak points? I guess the bigger question, what are your goals? Maybe you don't have the strong desire to become a better racer and the focus is on the fun factor which is totally fine.

I personally might dabble in SM next year and think you should keep the car eligible for the class. :)
 
Now that I've put a Icy Hot on my wounded ego , I'll see if we can get this conversation going with some specifics.

1st a little background , about this time last year , I bought a tired 95 SM . All I did other than R&M was :
- ISC Top Hats , Revalved the SM shocks , Offset Bushings in front
- Removed restrictor , added intake & header , made 115 HP on the old crate motor
- After my season was over , I added Megasquirt and made 10 HP
- Next week I'll get rid of the 4.1 Torsen and add 4.78 clutch pack

What's the next bang for the buck ?
 
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